Rappahannock County’s ever-growing assortment of world-class restaurants, lodging and wineries range from the acclaimed Relais & Châteaux cuisine and luxury accommodations of Patrick O’Connell’s Inn at Little Washington complex, to smaller scale but no less creative restaurants, pubs and inventive, attentive B&Bs and guest houses in Sperryville, Washington, Flint Hill and elsewhere. No matter what your taste or budget, you’ll find just the right place to eat, stay and play in Rappahannock.

Performers popular in the region and across the world grace the stages at the Theatre at Washington and the Castleton Festival venues, while an inventive and committed community arts organization offers plays and holiday musicals, monthly movies and must-see lectures. Besides a hugely popular annual fall artists’ studio tour and its own Artisan Trail in the works, Rappahannock County also boasts more than 50 artists who live and exhibit their work in the county, where more than nine art galleries in Washington, Sperryville and Flint Hill exhibit the work of local, regional and national artists. And the county’s abundance of antiques shops, ranging from the intimate to the vast, offers an astonishing variety of furniture, collectibles and unique finds.

The natural beauty of Virginia’s Piedmont is at its most dramatic in Rappahannock County, where the majestic Blue Ridge gives way to rolling hills, rambling streams and rivers, pastureland with grazing cattle, birding and wildlife trails and the charm of historic villages. Visitors come to relax in Rappahannock — to enjoy the beauty of a sunrise or sunset, or the brilliant stars of a country-dark sky — or to seek outdoor adventures, including in adjacent Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive.

Add to this top-notch classical, operatic, chamber, jazz and folk concerts and theater; seasonal, family-friendly events; sustainable farms and award-winning wineries; a distillery; vibrant art and artisans; photography and antique treasures; steeplechase races and an active hunt community; and gourmet dining — including in the historic Town of Washington, founded in 1796, which serves as the county seat and is home to the five-star, five-diamond Inn at Little Washington.